Crash
by Brookebynature
Summary: One night, one accident, one choice, brings the worlds of six people together. You have to remember what life is really about, because it can be so easily taken away. Based loosely on the concept of the movie.
1. Chapter 1

**Crash**

**Author- **Emily-Grace Mendes (Brookebynature)

**Disclamier- **I don't own any of the characters (apart from Madison) or the song. hell, I don't even own all of the plot line.

**A/N- **Once again, I'm starting a new story. This one won't be lots of chapters, perhaps 4 more at the most, but I'm hoping to make it powerful enough that it won't need any more. After watching the film 'Crash' again today, i came up with this idea. It's based loodely around the concept of the film, but it has nothing to do with racism.

I really hope you enjoy, and please REVIEW. xxx

**

* * *

**

Crash

"_It's the sense of touch. You walk, you brush past people. People bump into you."_

"_Yet in some lives, nobody touches you. We're constantly behind this metal and glass."_

"_Sometimes we miss that touch so much, we crash into each other. Just so we can feel something"_

It's amazing how many different ways people can be brought together. And how they can be torn apart. We think we know everything about our own lives: the way they work, what we like, what we dislike. But really, we have no idea. Sometimes, we need to be shown our realities because you never know when it's going to be taken away from you.

* * *

"Officer how long are we going to be stuck here?" Brooke demanded, indicating her silver Mercedes, it's headlights illuminating her porcelain face, showing no emotion.

"We don't know how long this situation is going to take to be sorted out. Miss please get back in your vehicle"

"God damit!" Brooke shouted as she slammed her door shut, causing the small child in the back seat to wake up, crying for her Daddy.

"Daddy's at work baby" she said softly, turning around in her seat to comfort her daughter. "Just like normal" she muttered.

"Go back to sleep"

"How come Daddy is always at work?" she asked, rubbing her tired eyes. "the other boys and girls in my class see their daddies all the time, but I don't get to see mine"

Brooke wanted to scream. She honestly had no idea why Lucas was constantly working. They had had such a happy life before. Brooke and Madison were his life. But lately, work had become his life. Brooke had started to feel like there wasn't a place for her and their daughter in it any more.

"Mommy?" she asked again. Brooke sighed, not knowing what to tell Madison.

"Daddy brings you presents baby" she said softly.

"But a girl in my class told me the other day that he mustn't love me, because otherwise he would play with me and read to me. Daddy doesn't do that."

"Maddie your daddy loves you no matter what anyone else says."

Brooke turned her face away form her daughter so that she couldn't see her cry. This was the total opposite of what she had wanted for her daughter. She didn't want Madison to have her life, she wanted her to feel loved and wanted, and not like she didn't matter.

"O.k Mommy" she whispered. "I just wanted to know"

"I know you did baby" she said, turning back around again. "Hey, you wanna come ride upfront tonight?"

"Really?" Madison asked excited. "You and daddy never let me ride in the front."

"Well today is a very special day then" Brooke giggled. "C'mon, lets get you out of that seat and into the big girl seat"

Brooke got out of her car once again, and opened the door next to Madison's seat.

"I'm a big girl now?" she asked.

"For tonight you are" Brooke replied as she kissed her hair and studied her face.

She placed Madison in the seat beside her, but she soon got bored and crawled into Brooke's lap. She wrapped her arms around her and rocked her slightly, watching her perfect hazel eyes flicker.

"Daddy and I will always love you Madison" she whispered "Always remember that"

* * *

"What do we have?" one officer asked the other as he bent down to examine the body laid on the side of the road.

"White female."

"Age?"

"Mid twenties" the officer guessed. They both stood up and straightened out their uniform pants, one radioing back to base as the other pulled out a cigarette from the pack in his pocket.

"You should quit" the other guy told him. "bad for your health"

"Cold night" the officer replied simply as he lit the end of the cigarette, taking in a long drag.

"Yeah, the snow's on it's way"

"White Christmas supposedly."

"Some Christmas it's going to be for her family" the guy said, indicating the body on the ground.

* * *

Haley's hands slowly grazed over the pages of the photo album, stopping when she reached Nathan's face. He looked so happy standing next to her with one arm wrapped around her waist, and the other holding a basketball. She could still remember the entire events of that day, from the minute she got up, until she fell asleep, safe and content, wrapped up in Nathan's arms.

She had no idea where he was now. The day he told her that he was leaving, he just packed a few things in his bag and that was it. He didn't take photos or money or even enough clothes for a week. He didn't tell her where he was going, or who he was going to stay with. He just left.

Haley felt a single tear streak down her face as her feeling got the better of her. She lied to everyone now. Her parents, her friends, herself. She wanted to believe that she felt nothing for him, that she wouldn't take him back, that he was a moment of weakness in her life. But it was a lie. She still loved him so much. And it hurt.

Looking at the clock, she noticed that it was 8:30, and she hadn't had any dinner. She wasn't hungry, yet she saw the keys on the side table, and grabbed them before she could talk herself out of eating. The last thing she needed was to be burdened with an eating disorder on top of everything else.

Haley drove the beat up Corolla up the highway, slamming on the breaks when she saw the long line of traffic ahead of her. She glanced in her rear view mirror, but there were too many cars behind her for her to reverse and turn back. So she pulled on the hand break and flicked the radio on, not even really listening to the words.

_How many special people change? How may lives are living strange?………._

_Someday you will find me Caught beneath the landslide………_

It's people that make the world what it is. It's their actions, their decisions, their choices that determine what's going to happen in our lives. Only you can make your life better. You have to take chances to do that. Sometimes those chances work out for the better, sometimes they don't.

But if we don't take control of our own lives, if we don't try and make it better, who do we have to blame other than ourselves?

* * *

You like? ...


	2. Chapter 2

**Crash**

****

**Author- **Emily-Grace Mendes (Brookebynature) 

**Discalimer- **I don't own any of the characters or the song. I don't even own the plot line really. 

**A/N- **I just want to say thankyou so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. I've never gotten so many reviews for one chapter before, so thankyou so much. There are a couple of responses at the bottom, but for now, please enjoy, and REVIEW like crazy lol. xxx 

****

* * *

**Crash**

Lucas squinted at the time in the corner of the screen on his computer. He should have left work over two hours ago, yet he was still sat in the same chair in the same office, in the same situation that he had found himself in too many times to count. He thought back to Brooke, and how she would be pissed at him once again when he got home. She'd gotten passed the stage of being worried about why he was so late, and now when he walked in, loosening his tie as he always did as he set his briefcase on the sideboard, she would just give him an angry look as she walked up the stairs to check on Madison.

He looked at the picture on his desk. It was of him and Brooke, her with a beaming smile and him just watching her as she held their tiny daughter who was a little over a week old. They both looked so happy. Neither of them had had those smiles on their faces for so long. She wore a fake one in front of people, he could still see through that act. But then again, so did he.

Lucas sighed and turned the computer off, followed by his desk lamp. Picking up his car keys and jacket on the way out, he glanced at his surroundings once more before heading out of the door.

He slowed his BMW down to a stop as he reached the long line of traffic stuck on the highway. There was no other way home so he had no choice but to wait. He thought about calling Brooke, but decided against it, figuring Madison would probably be in bed. Truth was he had no idea what time her bed time was, but she was normally asleep when he got home.

* * *

"So what's the story to this one?" the officer asked as he stamped out his cigarette on the frozen ground.

"We don't know yet. She had no I.D on her."

"Drink-driving?"

"Don't think so"

"Officer 170 do you copy?"

The officer walked to his car, picking up the radio.

"Go ahead"

* * *

Nathan peered out of the bus window as he felt it stop. He grimaced as he looked ahead, seeing the build-up of traffic. All he wanted to do was get out of Tree Hill, but judging by the scale of the accident, it didn't seem like it was happening any time soon.

He looked at his cell and flipped it open, pausing to look at the picture on the screen. It was of him and Haley. He studied her face with his hand, remembering just how beautiful she had been that day, how beautiful she was every day. He snapped it shut quickly before any feelings and emotions could enter his head.

The day he left, she was a mess. Beginning him not to go, pleading with him that they would be better together, that they could have a good life. But that was it. They _could _have had a good life, but they didn't. Maybe if they'd done things differently, maybe if they'd communicated more they would be happy now. But this was his life. Running. Scared.

* * *

"We gotta seal off the area" the officer said to his partner, referring to the radio message he had just received.

"You got the tape?"

"Yeah"

He held out one end, and they officers slowly walked across the road, creating a barrier so that no cars could get through either way.

"It's gonna be a long night for these folks" one said as he looked at the huge build up of traffic either side of the highway. The other officer just nodded and contemplated lighting up another cigarette.

* * *

Lucas beeped his horn impatiently at the other cars in front of him. What the hell was taking so long?

He yanked off his seatbelt and opened the door of the car, letting in a rush of icy cold air. Stepping out onto the road, he pulled his jacket tighter around himself as he dug his hands deep into his pockets. He was angry, really angry that he couldn't get home. But when he thought about it, he'd never really wanted to go home before. Lucas only wanted to get there because it beat getting stuck in traffic at God knows what time of night. But then, did he really _really _want to go home? Home meant either fighting with Brooke, or her ignoring him. Usually it was both.

Still, Lucas kept walking until the sight of police lights were visible. There were cars for miles along the highway, all of them in the same situation as him, yet nobody was getting out of the other cars. He looked through windows of those he was passing, seeing mainly husbands and wives, elegantly dressed up. He knew that it was the annual Tree Hill Christmas Ball tonight at the town hall. A slight feeling of guilt washed over him when he realised that this night had been what Brooke was talking about for so long. She'd bought her dress, and told him about it so many times, yet Lucas couldn't even remember what the color of her dress was.

He closed his eyes for a few seconds and kept on walking. He had no idea where he was walking to, or what he was looking for. He had no idea why the anger inside him was threatening to boil over at any point. Opening his eyes again, he walked passed another car with Christmas songs playing loudly. Lucas smiled slightly as he heard the children in the back singing along to the songs, as well as their parents who were laughing, mainly at the badness of their singing Lucas thought.

That's what he should have been doing with Brooke and Madison. Instead, he was working. Working in an office that was deserted, because everyone else was out living their lives, having fun.

* * *

"We got any information on her yet?" The officer asked, finally giving in to temptation and lighting another cigarette. His partner just shook his head.

"It makes you think doesn't it?"

"What?"

"Why things like this happen, why things work out the way they do"

"You're crazy man" the officer laughed, taking a drag of his cigarette and blowing it in his colleague's face.

"Maybe" he shrugged. "But maybe everyone else is crazy too"

* * *

Nathan pressed the play button on his mp3 player. Shutting his eyes as the sound filled his head, he wondered why it was that he was actually running. And why he couldn't face the truth.

_I've been down and I'm wondering why  
These little black clouds keep walking around  
With me……_

_So maybe tomorrow  
I'll find my way home……_

People are interesting. Their lives are interesting, as are the thoughts they have, the choices they deliberate, the decisions they make. There are so many unanswered questions in life. But why? What's stopping us finding the answers?

If we want to know why we're scared, or why we didn't make good decisions, we need to look at out philosophy on life. We need to learn more about ourselves to be able to answer the questions. Nobody can tell you anything about yourself you don't already know. They can only remind you of what's missing.

* * *

You like?...

Laura369- Glad you enjoy the way I write, and thankyou for reviewing almost every fic I have done lol.

brucasfanatic- I think Crash is the best movie I have ever seen. The way it comes across is so powerful, and you should DEFINATELY go see it lol. Thankyou so much for the awesome reviews you have given me-they're always nice and long :) Just how I like them :)

x-Brucas-luvin-x- You LOVE it? Wow lol. That's a good response to get. I hope you keep reading and keep enjoying the story. And keep reviewing! lol

**TO EVERYONE ELSE- **I appreciate the reviews so much, and I'm honoured at some of the comments. I really hope you continue to enjoy this fic, because I am enjoying writing it so much.

Emily-Grace xxx


	3. Chapter 3

**Crash**

**Author-** Emily-Grace Mendes (Brookebynature)

**Disclaimer- **I don't own any of the characters featured in this post (except the officers I guess) or thesong. Hell, I don't even really own the plotline.

**A/N- **Once again, I'd like to thank you for the suber reviews you guys have given me, please keep them coming. The song featured in the last post, was 'Maybe Tomorrow' by The Stereophonics.

I hope you enjoy this post, and please REVIEW! xxx

_

* * *

_

**Crash**

_"Many people die with their music still in them. Too often, it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out"_

Peyton's hand lingered over the handle of the bathroom cabinet. She knew what she was doing, she knew fine well what was in that cabinet. Giving herself a disgusted look in the mirror, she turned away, her back against the cold, hard sink. She'd been at low points before, but never like this. It was sad, she thought, how she had lost so many people in her life. But the main loss, the one person she'd ever really loved, and who'd loved her back was someone who was only a phone call, email, bus ride away. And she was too scared to do anything about it.

She still had the painting of Jake and Jenny in her room. She looked at it every night before she tried to go to sleep, and every morning when she contemplated getting up. It had been six, almost seven years now, since she had last seen them. Jenny would be in school, and she'd have friends. Jake wouldn't be in fear of Nicki coming back to take Jenny, because if there was any justice in the world, any real fairness, Jake would have full custody of his daughter.

She turned towards the mirror once again, her hand reaching straight for the razor blade inside the cabinet. She wasn't strong enough to take control of her own life, or so she thought. Sad really, that ending her feelings beat making them better. Still, it was her life, who was there to tell her what to do?

Digging the edge of the blade into her pale skin, Peyton let out a stifled cry for help, an admission of her feelings. Her blue eyes brimmed with tears which threatened to fall any moment, cascading down her face in a salty waterfall. But yet she smiled. She smiled at the realisation that she couldn't go on like this, and that she actually _could _do something to help herself.

She knew Jake was in Savannah. She had a car. Put the two together, and there was an equation she could solve. Peyton quickly wiped at her face with the back of her hand before rinsing the blue flannel with warm water and putting it over the stinging line of red.

* * *

"Sir could you step back please" the officer said, motioning his partner over for support.

"How long will I be stuck here?" Lucas demanded, the angry expression that was worn almost daily on his face had returned.

"As long as it takes for this to be investigated" he replied sternly. "Now can you please get back into your vehicle"

It was more of an order than a question. The officer looked at Lucas, wondering whether it was just going to be another of those nights where selfish people didn't want to cooperate.

"Why the hell are they called emergency services if it's taking this long?" Lucas shouted at the officers. "I mean, they have the word _emergency _in them, so……"

Lucas was cut off by the officer.

"Sir, we understand that you want to get home, they all do" he motioned to the traffic "hell, _I _do! But it doesn't always go our way. So please get back in your vehicle"

"Selfish people" one officer muttered to the other as they watched Lucas walk back towards his car.

* * *

Jake walked through the bright white doors that led to the emergency room. The whole hospital was in chaos after learning that there had been a major accident on the highway, and that all of the surviving injured people would be brought there.

Stopping at the sink the wash his hands with antibacterial hand wash, Jake thought back to Jenny at home. He hated leaving her with a babysitter, especially at Christmas, yet the only way for them to have a shot at a decent life, was for him to work ungodly hours as an assistant at Tree Hill General Hospital.

"Jagelski hurry up" the doctor barked at him, snapping Jake out of his thoughts.

"Coming" he muttered, looking up at the clock. Only eleven more hours to go.

* * *

Peyton pushed the play button on the c.d player, letting the music blast out over the speakers. She smiled at herself in the mirror, unashamed about what she had just done in the bathroom. It wasn't shameful, it was something which led her to where she was now, where she was going. She was going to be happy.

The highway was busier than usual, the lights a yellow blur on the black horizon, something which Peyton found beautiful in its own right. Scenery was beautiful if you just took the time to look at it.

The white strip on her hand was starting to feel tight, and Peyton loosened it, unwrapping the bandage as she saw that it wasn't needed any more. Taking her eyes off the road for just a second, Peyton threw the bandage on the floor.

She never looked up.

* * *

"Can we get some music on man?" the officer laughed, rubbing his arms with his gloved hands. " It's so Goddamn cold and we could use something to fill the air"

"You're getting sentimental you know" the other officer laughed as h turned the radio down low.

"Nah" he shook it off. "Just don't like the quiet."

_We text as we eat, as we listen to the freaks  
As we wait for the right of way_

The officers laughed at the lyrics coming over the speakers. They could have at least done with something Christmassy to cheer them up.

_We text as we talk, we're running as we walk  
Cos we surf our little souls away_

_We smoke as we choke, as we sink another coke  
And we grin when it blows our mind  
_

_We skate as we date, as we slowly suffocate  
We're running, we're running, we're running out of time……_

In life, we count down time. We count every day, every hour, every minute, even every second until whatever we're looking forward to, comes to us. But we're counting away _our _life. Precious time that we won't get back.

Often, we think a song is just a song. We sing along to the words, but we don't take them in. But maybe if we looked closer, thought about the person who made up the lyrics, we would see why we do what we do, what matters to us, and what we want.

Life is about living. So why can't we just do that? We can't we stop asking the questions, and searching for the answers, to just _live?

* * *

_

You like?... 


	4. Chapter 4

**Crash**

**Author-**Emily-Grace Mendes (brookebynature)

**Disclaimer- **I on't own any of the characters except Madison. I don't even own the title.

**A/N-**First;y, thank you for the reviews you guys. I didn't get as many that chapter, so I hope to make it up this chapter. This story will be a few chapters longer than I orginionally thought, maybe two or three more. Secondly, I should have metioned this earlier, but the gang didn't go to school together. That's not how they know each other.I won't say anything more or it will ruin it. Anyways, i'll let you read now lol.

Enjoy. xxx

* * *

**Crash**

People say it's the small things in life that matter. They're wrong. It's the big things that matter, because they over shadow our everyday routines. It's the big things that stick in our minds, it's the big things that we remember. Sometimes, the small things are insignificant in comparison. Life is a big thing. Death is a big thing. Love is a big thing, and hate is a big thing. But there's a very fine line between them all.

"Mommy why are we still stuck here?" Madison asked, rubbing her tired eyes.

"Because there's been a big accident baby" Brooke replied, looking down at the little girl laid in her lap.

"Why?"

"I don't know, maybe it was the ice on the road"

The car was silent for a few minutes until Madison asked "can we sing Christmas songs Mommy?"

"What song do you want to sing?" Brooke laughed

"Um, I don't know, maybe…" Madison paused while she thought of a song "All I want for Christmas is you"

"You like that song?" Brooke asked surprised. Madison nodded and Brooke smiled. "Well how about we sing to it then?"

She pulled a c.d out of the glove compartment and Madison squealed in her lap, clapping her hands in approval.

"I love you Mommy"

"I love you too baby" she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. Lucas was never there to hear his daughter say things like that. Usually, he only got a 'good morning Daddy' or 'nighty night Daddy' and Madison rarely even got an acknowledgement in response.

* * *

The ambulances made their way to where the police tape was, the flashing sirens helping illuminate the road even more.

"You got information on her?" the paramedic asked the officers who nodded their heads.

"Just came through. Peyton Sawyer, age 25. From Tree Hill"

The paramedics radioed back to the hospital, indicating the number of estimated casualties while two technicians strapped the body on a stretcher, covered with a black sheet.

* * *

"Mommy what's under there?" Madison asked, pointing to the stretcher. Brooke looked and instantly covered her mouth with her hand.

"It's the person who was in the crash" she whispered.

"Oh"

Brooke felt a searing pain tear through her stomach, and she clutched it with her hand, her face twisting in pain.

"What's the matter Mommy?" Madison asked

"Nothing baby, just a bit of tummy ache"

"Are you o.k? It looks like it hurts?"

Before Brooke could answer, her world went black, and then there was nothing.

"Mommy!" Madison screamed, shaking Brooke's limp body "Mommy!"

* * *

Lucas turned the key in the ignition, attempting to start the car up again to warm himself.

"Damn it!" he tried again, and hit the steering wheel when the car failed to start. Could anything else happen to him tonight?

* * *

Nathan looked out of the window once again, staring at the sky. It was that kind of sky you get when it's just about to snow a lot. 'White Christmas' he thought to himself. Thinking about snow made him think about Haley, and how much she loved this time of year. He loved the way that she got excited just by the first flurry. He loved how she would laugh hysterically if she managed to hit him with a snowball. He loved…..he just loved _her._

"Let me out here please" Nathan said to the bus driver.

"You sure? It's cold out."

"It's fine" Nathan said through gritted teeth. He just needed to get off that bus and walk for a while, although he wasn't sure where he was going. Traffic was at a stand-still, and by the looks of it, the police weren't letting any walkers past the accident scene. Still, Nathan got off the bus and started to walk past the cars, rubbing his arms to keep warm.

* * *

Madison climbed off Brooke's lap and opened the door, shivering as she felt the cold air hit her small, thin arms. Running past the window of the driver's seat, she shouted "Mommy!" one last time, and upon seeing that it didn't wake Brooke up, Madison ran down the road, stopping at a beat up Corolla.

Haley wound down the window when she saw a scared little girl running to her car.

"Please help my Mommy, she won't wake up" Madison cried.

"Okay, where's your car?"

"Down there" Madison pointed to near the front of the long line of traffic.

"What's your name?" Haley asked as she slammed the door of her car shut

"Madison Rose Scott"

"That's a pretty name" Haley said as they made their way past the parked cars. "My name's Haley"

She looked at the little girl running next to her, who didn't seem to have listened to anything she had said.

"There's Mommy's car" she said, pointing to the steamed-up silver Mercedes.

"Right Madison, you stay in the car with your Mommy, and I'll go and ask the paramedics for help."

Madison nodded, her eyes wide with fear as she watched Haley run to the ambulance.

* * *

Lucas opened the door of his car widely, hitting a man walking past as he did so. He shut the door quickly and helped the man up, apologising as he did so.

"It's o.k man. I'm Nathan" he laughed holding out his hand for Lucas to shake, before brushing off some dirt from his jacket sleeve.

"Lucas. What a day" Lucas sighed, running his hands through his hair. "Now I think my car's broken down, which would be typical. Brooke's gonna kill me."

"Brooke?"

"My wife"

Nathan nodded and forced a smile. "What's up with the car?"

"I don't know, the engine cut out and now the heater won't work." Lucas replied.

"Open the bonnet."

Lucas looked at him like he was crazy.

"I'm a mechanic" Nathan explained. Lucas just nodded and pulled up the front of the car.

* * *

"Please help, there's a woman passed out in a car over there" Haley pointed to Brooke's car as she explained to the paramedics about what Madison had told her.

"What's your Mommy's name?" The paramedic asked Madison, who had tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Brooke Penelope Scott"

"Okay, well we're going to take your Mommy to hospital in the ambulance Madison." the paramedic explained.

"I don't want you too, I want to stay with her." She cried harder.

"You can come too" he said "But we really need to make your Mommy better, so we're going to get a stretcher and take her to the ambulance."

Madison nodded silently, but screamed as she watched the ambulance team put Brooke on the stretcher. Haley picked her up and carried her to the ambulance, trying to calm her down.

"What the…" Lucas looked up towards the ambulance as he heard a child screaming. "Madison!"

* * *

People live their lives is so many different ways. Some go by the philosophy 'live for today' some plan their whole lives ahead of them, knowing exactly what they want to do, and exactly what they want. But you can never plan for the big things. We have no control over life, or death, or love or hate. They are things that happen to us whether we want them to or not, whether we expect them, or whether they come out of the blue. But the unexpected things in life, are often the best. They are _real.

* * *

_Please REVIEW guys. xxx 


	5. Chapter 5

**Crash**

**Author-** Emily-Grace Mendes (Brookebynature)

**Disclaimer- **I don't own any of the characters apart from Madison...blah...blah..

**A/N Firstly- **Thank you to all of you amazing reviewers, I'm glad you like this story, because I wasn't too sure about it at first. I really should mention brucasfanatic for your super-long and descriptive reviews. And also, CutieRay my new reader- best fic ever huh? Wow, thank you lol. A huge thank you to everyone else too. Your reviews make the story worthwhile and inspire me to write more.

**Secondly- **I figured some people are slightly confused by how everyone knows each other. The main part of the story will be the end, where you find out how everyone fits together. Brooke and Lucas are married. Haley and Nathan were a couple. Peyton and Jake were a couple (but the whole Nicki/Jenny thing is the same as it was in the show)

They aren't all friends, but later on, you'll find out how they all meet. Just like Nathan and Lucas met last chapter.

**Finally- **Keep reviewing please! Thank you once again.

Emily-Grace xxx

* * *

**Crash**

"_One event makes another. What we anticipate seldom occurs; what we least expected generally happens; and time can only prove which is most for our advantage."_

Lucas ran towards the ambulance, leaving Nathan just standing at the BMW, not knowing whether to follow him, or to stay by the car. Lucas didn't look back, so Nathan stayed at the car, interlocking his gloved fingers with one another.

"Madison!" Lucas yelled, running up the road, his heart beat drumming in his ears. What had happened? Was it Brooke that had been in the accident? Was she dead?

"Sir you can not go past this point" the police officer told him, signalling the tape and the ambulances behind him.

"That's my daughter" he said breathlessly, pointing to the ambulance which Madison was being lifted into.

"Daddy!" she screamed, almost unable to breath from the tears and lack of air getting into her lungs.

"Come here baby" he said softly, hugging her close to his chest and kissing her hair like he used to do when she was a baby.

"Mommy wouldn't wake up" she cried into his chest, despite Lucas' attempts to try and calm her. He climbed into the ambulance, with Madison clinging tightly to him. "We were singing Christmas songs and then she said her tummy hurt."

Lucas looked up at Haley who was feeling very out of place, sat across from him and Madison in the speeding ambulance.

"But she said she was o.k daddy. I checked"

"Shh baby" he whispered, having no idea really what had happened. He didn't care as long as Brooke was o.k. Madison's crying subsided slightly, giving her enough air to talk properly.

"That's Haley" she sniffed, pointing to the brunette who sat across from them. She gave a small smile and a slight wave to which Lucas responded with a nod.

"Lucas"

"Your daughter ran to my car. I just got the paramedics."

"Thanks" Lucas mumbled, not paying much attention to what Haley was saying. The team of paramedics were swarming around Brooke, so that Lucas could hardly see her, although he tried to keep Madison focused away from Brooke's deathly-pale face and pained expression.

* * *

"Has anyone found out about relatives of hers to inform?" the officer asked over the radio, trying to find out more information about Peyton.

"We have record of Larry Sawyer, father of the victim" came the reply, to which the officers gave a silent nod.

"Any other relatives?" the officer radioed back.

"No others on record. Is the traffic moving"

"Okay thanks." the officer replied "We're about to start directing traffic one way."

"Over and out"

* * *

Nathan stood by the car, and noticed that the keys were still in the ignition, prompting him to sit in the drivers seat as he noticed the traffic was staring to move very slowly. Remembering that it wouldn't work, Nathan stepped out again, cursing as he felt the cold air rush at him once more. 'New radiator' he mumbled to himself, knowing that the only way to move the car from the middle of the road was to push it. After asking a few people around him for some help, Nathan managed to move Lucas's car to the edge of the road, allowing the others cars to pass by without any obstruction. He sat down on the front of the car, silently watching the other cars slowly inch past him, observing the either angry or relieved looks on the occupant's faces. He wondered why it was, that some people were constantly angry, himself included. Here they were, held up because of a major accident, a death, somebody that was loved would never again be present on this earth and people were _angry. _Nathan shook his head slightly, sighing internally. _He _had been angry too. And he had no right to be.

* * *

"_Daddy who's that?" Jenny asked, pointing to the small picture of a curly-haired woman standing in front of a mirror._

"_That's Peyton" Jake whispered to his daughter, his voice getting caught in his throat, just like it always did when he talked about her._

"_How come we have a picture of her, and I've never met her?"_

"_You have met her baby. You too spent lots of time together when you were a baby"_

"_But why don't I see her now? I'm big now, I'm nearly eight."_

"_Jenny you just turned seven last month. That's not nearly eight" Jake laughed. But then we he thought about it, it hardly seemed any time since Jenny was a baby, and now here they were, seven years later. He was succeeding as a father. Just as Peyton said he would._

"_Did I like her?" Jenny asked after a few minutes of silence._

"_You loved her a lot. So did I"_

"_Was she like my Mommy?"_

"_She was nothing like your Mommy" Jake said quickly "She was good for you, and she would have been a good Mom."_

_Jenny nodded and looked back at the picture._

"_Did you love her?"_

_Jake nodded and smiled at his daughter. He loved how caring and gentle she was, yet at the same time, not afraid to ask for the truth. "I loved her a lot" he replied_

"_I'd like to see her again daddy. So that I can remember this time."_

"_So would I baby." He trailed off "So would I…"_

"Jagelski, there are patients coming in here in about half a minute. Would you actually mind focusing on what you're here to do?" the head doctor bellowed, snapping Jake out of his memory.

"Sorry" he muttered, and continued to place medical supplies on the shelf, thinking about Jenny back at home as he did so.

* * *

"She's still breathing" the paramedics announced, as they continued to crowd around Brooke who was lying peacefully and motionless in the bed of the ambulance.

"How much longer to the hospital?" Lucas asked, rubbing the back of his neck with the hand that wasn't holding Madison to him.

"Five minutes tops" one of the team shouted from somewhere near Brooke, although Lucas couldn't tell where.

"Why won't Mommy wake up?" Madison asked, the tears continually falling down her cheek.

"She just did" the paramedic replied, as Brooke attempted to sit up, clutching her stomach in pain.

"Maddie baby" she croaked as her eyes focused on the small girl across the ambulance. "Lucas?"

'No one ever really dies' that's the saying isn't it? That people's spirit lives on, that their presence is still felt. But it's not the same. It's not like having the person that you miss so much, there with you, every step of the way. They're not there to catch you when you fall, cheer you up with a smile or a laugh. You have the memories of that person to hold on to, but sometimes, when you try to do that, you realise there aren't any memories there. It's just a blur, because you never really lived. You just existed. That's not what life is about. You have to _experience_ things, otherwise, what's the point?

* * *

What do you think guys? You know reviews encourage me to update faster (hint hint...) 


	6. Chapter 6

**Crash**

**Author- **Emily-Grace Mendes (Brookebynature)

**Disclaimer-** I don't own any of the characters apart from Madison. And the baby-sitterI guess.

**A/N- **Okay guys, thank you so much for your reviews, and I'm sorry that it has taken this long for an update. This is the penultimate chapter, so please please please review as you'll only get one more chance. I love your reviews so much.

* * *

**Crash**

_"You are in control of your life. Don't ever forget that.You are what you are because of the concious and subconcious choices you have made"_

Lucas practically jumped off the seat, scaring Madison slightly with his urgency.

"Brooke sweetie are you o.k?" Lucas asked, pushing through the crowd of medical assistants so that he could reach her hand and hold it. She closed her eyes, obviously in pain, but she opened them again to look at Madison who was standing scared near Haley.

"Maddie baby" she croaked, forcing a pained smile. Brooke motioned for her to come over, but Madison stayed by Haley, blinking back salty tears. Haley rubbed her shoulder softly with her hand and bent down so that she could whisper into Madison's ear.

"Aren't you going to tell your Mommy how you helped her?"

Madison shook her head, again moving closer to Haley. Lucas looked guiltily at Brooke who was trying her best not to cry, with the pain in her stomach, or from Madison not wanting to be near her. Either way, Lucas couldn't tell, and that hurt him too. At one time, back when they were dating in high school, or college, or even during the first year of their marriage he would have known exactly what was upsetting Brooke. Yet now, a few years later on in their marriage, and with a beautiful daughter to show for it, Lucas didn't even know what Brooke's favourite restaurant was. It was weird to think that even though they were living together, and they shared a bed , they were so distant. He hadn't even noticed when their downfall started.

"Lucas" Brooke croaked, tears brimming in her hazel eyes.

"I'm so sorry Brooke" he whispered, brushing the stray pieces of hair from out of her eyes. He never once looked away from her perfect face. If he had, he might have seen Madison silently crying into Haley's chest, or the hospital come into view. But he didn't. He hadn't shared such an intense moment with her in years, and that was the saddest thing. The fact that he had come so close to loosing her made him realise how much he loved her.

* * *

Nathan watched as the cars moved past him, the silhouettes turning into a blur after a few minutes. He wondered what Haley was doing now. It wasn't anything new, he almost _always _wondered what she was doing. He wondered whether she was thinking about him, if she missed him as much as he missed her, if she was as mad at him as he was at himself. He was so used to getting things his way. When he was younger, he had almost everything he wanted. He had everything that he could control, but that was the problem. He'd tried to block it out, and he'd tried to deny the fact that he was selfish, but it was staring him in the face, and he couldn't hide from it any longer.

It wasn't fair to blame Haley for going after her dream. He'd gone after his. All of those times during high school when they were married, she'd come to every single one of his basketball games, sitting in the same place in the audience, and giving him a little wave or blowing him a kiss every time he scored.

Nathan hadn't gone to high flyers because of her. And it still made him kind of angry. He knew he was good, everybody did. But his obligation was as a husband. A good one. But Haley pursued her dream as a singer. And she achieved it. She hadn't put Nathan first, and that's what scared him.

* * *

"When will daddy be home?" Jenny asked her baby-sitter as she sat bored on the couch, sticking out her bottom lip as she did so.

"When you're in bed, you know he sometimes works late Jenny"

"I want him to be here now. I'm bored" she pouted, fiddling with the hem of her jeans. Which covered the top of her pink converse trainers. She loved those shoes so much, partly because Jake had told her that they were the prettiest shoes in the world. He always smiled when she wore them, and it made Jenny wonder why. She was seven now, and so much more in tune with what her dad liked and didn't like, that some people found it funny.

"Well what shall we do then?" the baby sitter asked absent-mindedly as she flicked through the different stations on the television.

"Haley always makes up stories" Jenny replied, turning to face the young woman sat on the couch beside her.

"Well how about you tell me one of the stories then" she said with fake enthusiasm. Jenny wasn't buying it.

"That's not the way it's supposed to work. You tell _me _the stories."

"You know what Jenny" the baby-sitter said, looking at her watch "I think it's time for bath and bed. _Then _I'll tell you a story"

"A good one?" the small girl asked hopefully, and excited smile appearing on her face.

"A good one. Now be a big girl and show me how you can bath yourself." she said, flicking the remote onto the arm of the couch as 'America's Next Top Model' appeared on the t.v.

* * *

The doctor left the room and Brooke stared at the space in front of her, not really focusing on anything in particular, but trying to process everything in her head. She was pregnant? The baby was pressing against some part of her that was dangerous. Brooke couldn't even remember what he'd said. Lucas was sitting silently in the chair by her bed, but he hadn't said anything. His face was white and he looked extremely tired. But then again, so did she. They _were _tired. They were tired of pretending to people that everything between them was o.k. They were tired of pretending that they were this perfect family, with a perfect life. It wasn't. Not even close. But then, whose life is perfect anyway?

* * *

Jake walked down the corridor to the room where the body of the woman had been brought to. All he'd been told was that he should go there because there was something he needed to do. That corridor seemed like it would never end. His heart was pounding in his chest, and the white walls and floor had all blurred into one. He could hardly see anything now. He knew it wasn't Jenny, because they'd told him she was fine. What if it was his Mom? What would her do?

The guilt took over him. He should have spent more time visiting his parents, especially now that he was living back near Tree Hill. But he hadn't. He saw them occasionally, mainly if he couldn't find a baby-sitter for Jenny and he needed someone to watch her while he was at work. His Mom was the one who had recommended Haley. He knew how much Jenny loved her as a baby-sitter, and she'd be devastated if it was her that was lying in that room. He saw the door come closer and reached out his shaky hand, grabbing for the shiny handle.

* * *

Nathan looked up out of his thoughts to hear a load of car horns, beeping insistently down the highway. Nathan smiled to himself, shaking his head. He wondered how long it would take these people to figure out that the world didn't just revolve around them. He wondered how long it would take them to stop being angry and just _accept _the situation.

'obviously not any time soon' he thought as the beeping continued, and he slid off the car bonnet, making his way down the highway. It wasn't like he had anywhere to be. He might as well find out what was going on now.

As he made his way closer, Nathan squinted his eyes at the car, the beat-up Corolla in the middle of the road causing his heart to lurch.

"Haley!" His heart beat in his ears as he ran towards that car, probably faster than he had ever run on a basketball court, ever.

He reached the car, but there was nobody inside. People shouted out of their window at him when he stood gazing at the photo on the dashboard. It was of him. Him and her together and in love.

"What the hell are you doing?" someone shouted out of the window at Nathan, who stood dumb-founded. Why was Haley's car just abandoned in the middle of the highway? Was in her in that accident? It couldn't have been surely. Nathan didn't want to let himself think that, so he blocked it out of the memory and dug his hands into his jacket pocket, running his fingers over the sharp piece of metal.

"Yo man is this your car?" the guy shouted again, louder and more angry this time. Nathan turned around, his hands still fingering the key.

"yeah" he said softly, not loud enough for anyone to hear, but the man saw the movement of his lips.

"Well move the damn thing so that we can get going!" he shouted, his eyes widening at the sight of Nathan leaning against the scratched door. He nodded, almost like a small child being told what to do.

* * *

"Lucas we can't do this" Brooke broke the silence and Lucas turned his head sharply in her direction.

"What do you mean we can't do this?" he asked softly, inching his chair closer to Brooke's hospital bed. He'd been thinking about Madison, and how she hadn't wanted to go over to Brooke in the ambulance. Yet she'd stayed with that woman, what was her name? Hilary? Haley? Lucas couldn't remember. He'd been too focused on his crying daughter and an unconscious Brooke when she had told him.

"I mean" she started, fixing her eyes on the clock on the wall. "We can't have this baby"

"Why not?" Lucas asked quickly. Sure they hadn't planned another child, and it maybe wasn't the best of situations, but still, this was a baby, _their _baby. "Are you in pain?"

Brooke shook her head. "That's not what I mean."

"Then what do you mean?" Lucas snapped "Don't you want another child?"

"Sure I do!" she replied, with a raised voice, matching the pitch of Lucas' "But not like this. I don't want to bring another child into this world when we're not even in a proper relationship."

"We're not in a proper relationship? Brooke, we're married!"

"Lucas, we might as well not live in the same house any more. We never spend any time together, I don't want this child to grow up without a father too."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"You're never around! We already have a daughter, and to you, it's like she's not even there"

"Brooke that's not fair!"

"When was the last time you spent any time with her Lucas?"

"I picked her up from her dance class last week"

"I meant real time. When did you last play with her? Braid her hair? Colour in pictures?"

He shook his head, not knowing what to say.

"This isn't fair, I have to work to support us all"

"You don't have to work all the time. You don't have to do overtime, or work on her birthday. You don't have to spend Christmas Break sat at the computer. Do you even know what her favourite outfit is? Or her favourite book? Or even her favourite colour for that matter?"

Lucas shook his head at a loss for words. He didn't have any idea as to what the answer to any of those questions were.

"Her favourite colour is red. That's because one day we were all going out for dinner, and you told her that her and I looked so pretty in red, and that you were proud that we were 'your girls'. She remembers you saying every word of that Lucas."

He opened his mouth to speak, but Brooke cut him off.

"Her favourite book is 'The Willows In Winter'. Why? Because she knows that your favourite book is 'The Winter of Our Discontent' and they both have the word 'Winter' in them"

Brooke held up her hand to tell him that she still hadn't finished, and Lucas watched as the tears that she had held back for so long in front of him, started to fall down her cheeks.

"Her favourite outfit is a short jeans skirt and an off-the-shoulder light blue sweater with her matching flip flops. That's because I told her that one of the things I love about you is the colour of your eyes. She said that when she wore that outfit, it would remind us of you, and it would be like you were there with us. Everything that she likes relates to you Lucas."

Brooke broke down, the tears showing no sign of stopping, and all Lucas could do was contemplate what she had just said. He really had no idea about what his daughter liked, what she disliked, who her best friend was, or what games she liked playing.

"I wanted a child to be conceived out of love Lucas"

"We did"

"No we didn't" she said softly, the tears clouding her vision, but even though she couldn't see him, she knew that Lucas was close to tears. This was the first time in so long that she could sense what he was feeling. He was scared, and shocked, and angry, and upset. But most of all, he was confused. But then again, so was she.

"This baby, came from sex, not from making love. We didn't care about what the other wanted, we didn't care what we were doing."

"It was passion Brooke" Lucas argued, though he knew she was right. That night, they'd argued for ages about how he didn't spend enough time with her and Madison, about how he didn't pay their daughter enough attention. He tried to deny it at the time, but even back then, he knew it was true. He just wouldn't acknowledge it.

"It might have been passion Lucas, but it was for the wrong reasons."

"I know" he whispered dipping his head. He actually felt ashamed of himself.

"Lucas" she reached out and touched his cheek, her hands tingling at the contact. Brooke shut her eyes and Lucas did the same. They hadn't felt that for such a long time. He got up off the chair and sat beside her on the bed, rubbing her leg which was underneath the covers.

"I miss you Brooke"

She let herself fall into his arms, completely giving up on holding any emotions in. Maybe she didn't need to do that any more. He cradled her, pulling her closer as she cried into his shoulder- something she hadn't done in years.

* * *

Jake opened the door slowly, afraid to find out who was lying motionless in the room. He brought a hand to his mouth as his eyes clouded over with tears.

"Peyton"

_"If we fall, we don't need self-recrimmination or blame or anger. We need a reawakening of our intention and a willingness to recommit, to be whole-hearted once again."_


	7. Chapter 7

**Crash**

**Author- **Emily-Grace Mendes (Brookebynature)

**Disclaimer- **I don;t own any of the characters apart from Madison...blah...blah...

**A/N- **So here it is! The last chapter! I'll let you read, and then there's another note at the end. Enjoy xxx

* * *

**Crash**

"_It's the sense of touch. You walk, you brush past people, people bump into you._

_Yet in some lives, nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass._

_Sometimes we miss that touch so much, we crash into each other, _

_just so we can feel something."_

Jake sat down in the chair at the edge of the room, his body numb, his eyes glazed over. The lifeless body next to him looked so peaceful and beautiful that he couldn't leave. He couldn't move, he couldn't speak. Her delicate face was framed perfectly by her blonde ringlet curls. Her lips still held some colour, but he knew she was gone. The cuts on her wrists signified that, as did the white skin. Yet his eyes stayed fixed on her lips-the last part of her that he had touched all those years ago.

* * *

Nathan rooted around the car for any sign of where Haley might have gone, stopping when his hands grazed the picture in the glove compartment. He smiled remembering that day. The day everything was perfect, at least, it was for them. Haley had cheered for him while he shot hoops against some little boys in the local park. He'd let them win of course, but showed off a few times, completing tricks that left the boys staring in awe. It was that day that he'd realised that he wanted children. With Haley. He wanted to teach them about basketball and pulling pranks and playing play station. He wanted to teach them about _life. _The beauty of it he'd thought back then. But now? Now he could teach his children about how hard life is, and how sometimes, you just want to give up. Bt there's always those little signs. There's always something to remind you that you have to keep going, whether or not you want to.

He smiled slightly at himself, finally realising what life was about. Love.

* * *

"Hey Madison" Haley said softly to the little girl. "You wanna go se your mommy? I'm sure she'd love to see you." Madison shook her head, and Haley looked at her puzzled.

"Why not? I bet she'd be so proud when you tell her how you helped her"

"I don't want to go in there" the little girl said, bordering on the verge of tears. "Daddy might get mad."

"Why would he get mad? You saved your Mommy"

"Normally when daddy gets mad……." Madison trailed off. Brooke had always told her not to talk to strangers, but now she really wanted to talk to this lady. She seemed nice. Like somebody her Mom should be friends with.

"What happens when your daddy gets mad Madison?" Haley pushed, wanting to find out more about this little girl who seemed so timid, so frightened of her own father. Something that reminded of someone else she knew. A certain brown-haired guy that she was in-love with.

"My Mommy gets upset, and then I get scared."

"But your Daddy won't get mad. I'm sure he'd like to see you too" Haley soothed, pulling the little girl onto her lap. She'd never seen a child look so much like one of their parents in her life. This girl was the spitting image of her Mom.

Haley gave Madison a reassuring smile. "Maybe you could draw her a picture then? And I could give it to her?"

Madison nodded her head and slid off Haley's lap, making her way to the small coffee table opposite the couch which was displaying a few magazines, some paper and some colouring pencils.

"Should I draw a kitty? Mommy says we should get one so that we can pet it"

"You can draw what ever you like" Haley smiled before looking nervously at the clock. Sure she didn't really know these people, but she wanted to make sure Madison's Mom was o.k, and her dad hadn't come to tell her that she was. Yet.

* * *

"Jagelski, you should go home man" one of the hospital workers entered the room, breaking the silence that had never been disturbed since Jake had sat down.

"I loved her so much you know" he chocked, starting at Peyton's stony face, her lips gradually draining of colour. "And I never really told her."

The man looked down, unable to think of anything comforting to say.

"I said 'I love you Peyton' just before I left. Before I went to go get Jenny from my ex. And she couldn't say anything. She just cried and tried to smile. I did this to her"

"Jake you didn't do anything. There's no way you could have stopped this from happening."

"If I'd have been there, I could have stopped her from going out tonight."

"You and I both know that's not true. Women do what they want" he tried his best to joke, earning him a slight smile from Jake.

"_Don't buy Jenny anything! She has enough stuffed toys, and she'll be sick if she has any more ice cream" Jake warned with a smile. Jenny cracked up laughing when Peyton made a face at Jake behind his back. _

"_okay baby. We're going to get you the biggest stuffed animal ever!" Peyton cooed to Jenny, who gurgled at her as she kicked her legs. "I'll take that as an okay Peyton" the blonde laughed._

"_Peyton Sawyer, why is there a huge giraffe in Jenny's room?" Jake mock shouted, hands on his hips._

"_She pointed to it Jake, I had to buy it for her"_

"_I told you not to!" he laughed_

"_Come on! Nobody can resist that little cutie, especially when she laughs."_

"_Fine, but she better not have had ice cream"_

_Peyton shook her head, but grinned, her blue eyes sparkling._

"Yeah" he whispered "She'd have done it anyway"

"You should go home"

Jake nodded his head "Could you just give me a minute?"

"Sure" the man answered, shutting the door behind him as he left Jake with Peyton.

* * *

"Do you think it's a boy or a girl?" Lucas asked as he let his hand gently rest on Brooke's flat stomach.

"Lucas don't"

"Don't what? Don't think about our child?"

"That's not what I meant"

"I don't want you to have an abortion Brooke" he said softly, caressing her stomach with his thumb.

"And what about what I want Lucas?" she asked, raising her voice slightly.

"What do you want?"

"I can't believe you even need to ask me that."

"Well it's better than not asking and not knowing isn't it?" Lucas's raised voice matched Brooke's as his thumb stopped still. Brooke closed her eyes and nodded her head.

"I want a life Lucas."

"A life" he repeated softly, dipping his head.

"One that I enjoy. One that I want to wake up in a morning and actually live. One where I don't have to pretend that everything is okay, because it _would _be okay. I wouldn't need to pretend."

"I haven't been a good husband to you Brooke. And I sure as hell haven't been a good dad to Madison. But I love you both so much."

"I know Lucas" Brooke said, resting her head on his shoulder as she too, shut her eyes. "But if I have this baby, there's always going to be this fear in the back of my mind that you won't be there. I couldn't do that to another child."

"I can't even begin to say how sorry I am Brooke." Lucas started "But I can promise you that I'm going to be there for you and Madison a hundred percent. And if we have this baby, I'm going to be there for it too."

Brooke placed her hand over Lucas', interlacing their fingers as he smiled at her.

"We do it together?"

"Together" Lucas said, placing a soft kiss on Brooke's lips.

"Then I think it's another girl." she smiled. Lucas looked at her, his mouth open slightly.

"You look shocked. Do you think it's a boy?" Lucas silenced her with his lips, kissing her with such need and passion that she felt her whole body shake. He inched closer, closing the gap between them completely as Brooke broke away. Trying to catch her breath.

They sat there, for once in such a long time, completely content with the peaceful silence that had fallen between them.

"I think it's another girl too"

* * *

Finding nothing to indicate where Haley went, Nathan locked the car up, and walked quickly down the road, hoping that the police officers would have seen her, and would at least point Nathan in the right direction.

"Sir please stay away from the tape." the officer told Nathan, as he threw his smoked cigarette on the ground before stamping it out.

"Have you seen a woman in her twenties, about this tall?" Nathan gestured with his hands, his eyes wide with worry and concern. "She's got this sort of golden brown hair and brown eyes"

"I've seen two" the officer replied. "One of them had a small child with her and the other didn't look too good. They took her to the hospital. Something about collapsing in her car."

Nathan started to run back towards the bet up Corolla, calling back to the officers behind him. "Tree Hill General right?"

"Think so"

"Thanks" Nathan shouted back as he ran in the opposite direction to the now quickly-moving oncoming traffic.

* * *

"I'm so sorry Peyton" Jake chocked as the tears escaped his eyes which were focused on her limp body.

"I wish I cold let you know how much I love you, and how much I'm going to miss you. We both are, Jenny and I." he moved his chair closer so that he could take Peyton's cold hand in his, tracing small circles with his thumb.

"She was asking about you the other day actually. She's so much like you it's scary. She has these pink converse trainers that she wears constantly. They remind me so much of you." another tear slipped down his cheek, but he kept hold of Peyton's hand, never wanting to let go.

"So obviously you corrupted her from an early age." Jake smiled through his tears as he thought about how his life could have been with Peyton and Jenny.

"We live in Tree Hill now. I thought about contacting you every day, but I always decided against it. I guess I made the wrong decision. My Mom said I should just get off my ass, stop moping and phone the girl who had my heart." he laughed slightly, sniffing back tears.

"I missed my chance" he whispered, dipping his head as he breathed in the scent he had had to remember for all of those years, just to get to sleep at night. Except now he could smell it for real. The sweet, orange and jasmine fragrance that he had come to love embedded itself in his nostrils, making him shut his eyes tightly.

"Peyton Sawyer I have always loved you and I always will." he said softly as he moved a strand of her hair. "I just wish you could know that."

Jake placed a soft kiss on Peyton's lips and pushed his chair back slowly, his eyes never leaving her face as he opened the door. Yet slowly, his vision was blocked by the whiteness of the door that stood shut in front of him.

* * *

"I'm done" Madison announced, thrusting the picture at Haley, who studied it carefully. She'd drawn the kitty, which was attached to a blue lead, matching the blue ribbon in it's hair.

"That's a pretty kitty" Haley said "I guess it's a boy since it has a blue ribbon."

"No silly" Madison said, coming to sit next to Haley once again. "It's a girl kitty. Boy's don't wear bows."

"Really? Because I know this boy who wears a bow"

Madison giggled, displaying a small pair of dimples, either side of her rosy lips. "You're silly."

"So next to the kitty, we have a very big house"

"That's my house!" Madison stated proudly. "And that's me and Mommy" she pointed to a shape that resembled a woman, and a smaller one which was obviously her.

"And where's your Daddy?" Haley asked, frowning at the picture.

"There" Madison pointed to a window at the top of the house. "He's working in his office."

Haley swallowed the lump in her throat and looked at the innocent little girl sitting next to her. She obviously had something in common with Nathan.

"These are pretty flowers" Haley pointed to a row of yellow dots at the bottom of the page which she had guessed were flowers.

"Uh huh. Me and Mommy planted sunflowers."

"Sounds like you do lots of fun things with your Mommy"

"I do. She paints my nails, and then she lets me paint hers. We go to the mall and she always says that since I'm her princess, I have to have the prettiest clothes, so that means we get to spend daddy's money." Madison giggled, a mischievous smile on her face. "We gotted these shoes the other day" The little girl stuck her foot out so that Haley could admire her black sandals.

"They are pretty" She replied, smiling at Madison who just nodded. "Well I'm going to quickly take this to your Mommy, you sure you don't want to come?"

Madison shook her head. "Will you be okay on your own for a few minutes then?"

"Yep" she nodded. "I sat in the front seat tonight, so that means I'm a big girl now."

"Okay big girl. Sit tight" Haley smiled warmly, setting Madison at ease as she shut the door behind her, making her way to the reception desk.

* * *

"So how do you think Madison will react when we tell her about the baby?" Lucas asked, keeping his eyes closed as the steady rhythm of Brooke's breathing made him safe in the knowledge that she wasn't in pain.

"She'll be so excited. She really wanted a brother or sister."

"She never told me" Lucas said softly, knowing exactly why. "You never told me."

"I'm sorry" Brooke whispered, snuggling closer to Lucas who tightened his protective hold on her.

"No Brooke. _I'm _sorry. But hey, we have another shot now right?"

"Right" she nodded, keeping her eyes closed. "We're lucky"

"How's that?" Lucas asked, opening his eyes to study Brooke's face.

"We got another shot. That other woman didn't"

* * *

The door of the relatives room opened and Jake walked in, sinking into a chair at the edge of the room. Looking at the little girl who was busy drawing what appeared to be a get well soon card, he smiled, thinking back to his own daughter back at home. He rested his head in his hands and sighed softly.

"Is your Mommy sick too?" the little girl asked him curiously as she held a colouring pencil poised in her right hand.

"No" Jake said softly, shaking his head.

"Then why is you sad?"

"I made the girl I loved very sad."

"My daddy makes my Mommy sad too." she replied matter-of-factly.

"Really?" Jake asked. The girl nodded.

"I'm Madison Rose Scott, and I'm a big girl now, so I can talk to the grown-ups."

"Is that so?" Jake mused, smiling at the girl. "I'm Jake"

"Hi Jake. I don't like your pants."

He laughed and looked down at his outfit. "Me neither Madison. But I have to wear them because they're my uniform."

Madison scrunched her nose up and made a noise that sounded like 'yuck' and then went back to her drawing, not saying another word to Jake.

* * *

Haley walked down the corridor away from Brooke's room. After looking through the window of the door at her and her husband, she'd decided not to disturb them and instead posted Madison's drawing underneath the door, attached to a note which told them she was in the relatives room, and that they should come get her. Thinking about Madison, made Haley think even more about Nathan. 'People really are stupid' she thought. She knew she missed Nathan like crazy, but only now had she decided to do something about it. It had taken a major accident and a death for her to realise that she had to make the most of her life, and the people that she loved. Because all too quickly, it could be taken away.

"Hey Madison, I gave your Mom the….."

"Haley"

"Jake! What's happened? Is it Jenny? or your parents?" Haley asked frantically. Jake shook his head.

"Peyton"

"Peyton?" Haley questioned, but then her eyes widened. "As in Peyton Sawyer, the girl from your high school?"

"Yeah" Jake replied softly as Haley say down beside him.

"Jake I'm so sorry"

"Me too" he replied simply.

* * *

"hey baby girl" Lucas said quietly as he entered the relatives room, surveying the people looking expectantly at him. Madison turned around from her drawing, looking up at him with her big hazel eyes.

"hey daddy"

"Thanks for watching her" he said to Haley, who shrugged and nodded, smiling at the little girl.

"She's a great kid"

'I wish I knew her more' Lucas thought, but decided against saying, settling instead for "I know"

"I made Mommy a get well soon card." Madison said, holding up the folded piece of paper. Lucas smiled at her and waked over to the coffee table, bending down when he reached his daughter.

"that's great Madison. Will you come with me and show it to her?"

Madison nodded her head slowly and got up off the floor, smoothing her red party dress. Lucas picked her up and tickled her, making her shriek, as everyone in the room smiled.

"Thanks again" he turned to Haley just before he left the room with the giggly little girl in his arms.

"No problem. I'll be here for a bit if you need me."

* * *

A breathless Nathan ran into reception, shouting to everyone and anyone that was around that he needed to see Haley James, and had they seen her. After receiving numerous odd looks and countless stares, Nathan reached the desk, gasping his name and saying that he needed to see Haley James.

"I have no record of anyone under Haley James being treated in this hospital." the receptionist stated bluntly. "Is she visiting?"

"I hope so" Nathan muttered, but turned around, reading the signs hanging from the ceiling. 'cafeteria'

He ran towards the sign, his heart hammering in his chest.

"Sir you can't just go down there! Sir!" the receptionist shouted, but Nathan ignored her, pausing to take in a large gulp of air before running off once again.

* * *

"So what are you doing here?" Jake asked Haley who was absent-mindedly twirling a strand of golden hair around her finger.

"There was this big accident on the highway. I guess you heard"

"Yeah"

"And Madison, the little girl was running past my car because her Mom has passed out I think. She was trying to get help, so I told the paramedics, and I came here to make sure she was o.k"

Jake nodded as he took in what Haley was saying. "So is Madison's Mom o.k then?"

Haley nodded. "I guess so."

"So what are you doing here then?"

"I thought I'd stay and talk to you."

"Haley you don't have….."

"Has anyone seen….Haley?" a breathless Nathan practically fell into the room, bending over as he drew in sharp intakes of breath.

"Nathan What… what are you?"

"I saw your car on the highway, and then there was this whole accident and you weren't in your car, and the paramedic said that someone meeting your description came here…and…" he swallowed, keeping his eyes fixed on Haley who was staring open-mouthed.

"I'm sorry you guys, but I guess I should go home. It's been a long day and I want to see Jenny if she's still awake. Tell her about…you know" he trailed off looking at Haley who looked like her world had just got a whole lot brighter.

"I'm sorry Jake."

"Thanks" he said simply, getting up off the chair and grabbing the jacket that had been thrown hap-hazardly on another chair.

"I'll babysit for Jenny any time. Just call me"

"Thanks Haley"

* * *

Broke smiled as she heard the sound of Madison's giggles down the hallway. She loved how her daughter was always so full of life, and could make her feel better just by a giving her a smile. A few shrieks later, the door of her room opened, in in walked Lucas who was carrying Madison in a fireman position.

"Daddy!" she giggled, kicking her legs behind her. Lucas set her down beside Brooke on the bed as he sat down in the arm chair opposite.

"I made you a get well soon card Mommy" she said proudly, thrusting the card at Brooke.

"Thank you baby. This'll go nicely with the picture you drew."

"The sunflowers match"

"I can see that" Brooke smiled as she hugged her daughter and kissed her hair.

"Daddy gived me a fireman's lift" she said brightly, bouncing up and down lightly on the bed.

"I think the whole hospital knows about that" Brooke laughed, smiling warmly at Lucas who got up off the chair and sat on the edge of her bed. She scooted over, allowing him room to lay next to her properly.

"Hey!" Madison replied indignantly. "I's going to fall!"

"Come here baby" Lucas laughed, picking her up and holding her legs so that she didn't kick Brooke. He set their daughter on his knee, holding her to him so that she wouldn't fall.

"Things are going to be a bit different now Maddie" Brooke said, lacing her fingers with Lucas', who just smiled at her and nodded for her to continue.

"Why?"

"Well you're going to see a lot more of Daddy."

"Is you going to give me more fireman's lifts?" she asked Lucas excitedly.

"Anything you want baby"

"Anything? Even a pony?"

"maybe not a pony" Brooke laughed "But you'll get something much better"

"A kitty?" Brooke shook her head. "A doggy?" Lucas shook his head. "A plane?"

"You want a plane?" Lucas laughed. Madison shook her head.

"I couldn't guess any more stuff"

"Well I could tell you if you and your Daddy let me talk" Brooke giggled, tickling her daughter.

"Mommy stop! Tell me!" she shrieked.

"How about you get a brother or sister?"

"Really?" Madison asked "Can I see it?"

"No because it's in Mommy's tummy" Brooke said as Madison rubbed her hands across Brooke's flat stomach.

"I can't feel it"

"That's because it's not big enough yet."

"When do I get to see it?" Madison asked, her dimpled smile matching Brooke's.

"Not for a while yet." Lucas said "But are you excited?"

"Yeah!" Madison shouted, nodding her head vigorously.

"I guess that's good to know" Brooke laughed, closing her eyes as Lucas kissed her forehead.

**So If I…  
Crash into you  
And If I…  
Dare Not Run away**

* * *

"That should cover it" Jake said as he handed to cash to the baby sitter. "She been okay?"

"Fine" the girl replied. "see ya again"

Jake nodded and closed the door, rubbing his forehead tiredly.

"hey baby" he entered Jenny's room to see her reading, the bedside lamp giving the room a subtle glow.

"Hey Dad" she smiled, putting the book down. "You look tired."

"I am. Hey sweetie, you know we talked about Peyton the other day?"

"Yeah?"

"Well you're not going to get to meet her baby." he dipped his head, perching on the edge of the small single bed.

"Why not? Did you two have a fight?"

"No Jenny, there was…….an accident"

"Was Peyton in it?"

Jake looked at his daughter, trying his best not to let her see him cry. If he did, then she would, and he hated to see her upset.

"Yeah she was"

"So can't we go see her at the hospital?"

"I already did baby"

"So why can't I? I thought I was big now Dad"

"She died Jenny"

**It's Cause I…  
Need someone to touch  
Whether it's…  
Heavenly or pain**

* * *

"So you weren't in that accident?" Nathan asked Haley after he'd caught his breath. She shook her head, motioning for him to sit beside her. When he didn't, and instead paced the floor with his hands behind his head, Haley got angry.

"What? So we can't even sit next to each other any more?" she shouted

"I didn't say that!"

"Well you're obviously not going to sit with me, so I don't know how we're going to have a proper conversation!"

"Haley. I'm still trying to process all of this" Nathan shouted, his tone of voice matching hers. "Do you have any idea what I've been feeling this past half hour?"

She watched his expression change from angry to worried. "I thought you might be dead. I had no idea if that was even you that had gotten into the ambulance. I was angry at myself because if you'd have died and I hadn't apologised for what happened between us…"

"You'd feel guilty?" she half-shouted, half-cried.

"You did _not _just say that to me" Nathan said in disbelief. "You know me better than that Haley."

"Not any more I don't" she muttered, loud enough for Nathan to hear.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"We haven't seen each other for months! How do I know what you're like? People change Nathan"

"You think I don't know that? YOU changed Haley."

"I know! I know I did, and I was selfish, and a bad wife but I'm sorry Nathan."

"See that's the thing Haley. I hate myself for it, but I can't stop it"

"Stop what?" she asked, her voice softening as Nathan came closer.

"I can't stop myself from being jealous of you"

**And if by…  
Chance we don't collide  
Then I'll…  
Take much better aim **

* * *

"Mommy is the baby coming out yet?" Madison asked, looking carefully at Brooke's stomach, eyeing it up and down. Brooke laughed and looked at Lucas.

"No baby, you won't get to meet it for about eight months"

"Well maybe if you keep laughing, you'll shake it out cos your tummy moves when you laugh"

This time, Lucas joined in the laughing, and when Brooke couldn't stop herself, Madison started to giggle too, much to Brooke's happiness. She'd never really seen her daughter laugh around Lucas. She always seemed sort of scared of him.

"Okay my giggly girls" Lucas said "I think I need some coffee, and you could do with a drink too Madison."

Brooke looked up at him with her hazel eyes, and Lucas felt himself go weaker, as if she'd awakened something inside of him again that he'd suppressed for the past few years.

"Well only be a few minutes" he said softly as he kissed her on the lips, then on the cheek, then softly again on her forehead.

"I love you Lucas" she whispered. All she wanted right now was to be wrapped up in his arms, just like they used to do when they were younger, before they grew apart.

"I love you too pretty girl" he said, before scooping up his daughter, kissing her on the cheek as he exited the room. Brooke let her head sink into the pillow as she closed her eyes.

'Pretty girl' He hadn't called her that in what seemed like forever.

**It's cause we…  
Need someone to touch  
Whether it's heavenly or pain**

* * *

Jake opened the can of beer, letting the cold liquid wash down his throat.

"daddy I can't sleep" Jenny's small voice filled the room, making Jake turn his head towards the door.

"You had a bad dream baby?" he asked as she climbed onto his lap, something she hadn't done since she was a lot younger.

"No" she shook her head "I was just thinking about Peyton. I was sad so I knew you'd be sad."

"You know me too well I guess" he laughed a little and breathed in his daughter's smell. It was comforting, to him, that no matter what he seemed to do, or not do, in some cases, his daughter was always there, and she never judged him. No matter what.

"I just wish I could remember her."

"Well she'll remember you."

"Can you really remember people when you're dead Daddy?" Jenny asked, her eyes widening with curiosity.

"Of course you can. And even though Peyton's not here any more, she'll always be there to watch you, and make sure that you're safe if I'm not around."

"Why? Where are you going?"

"Nowhere Jenny. I'll never leave you"

**I will understand you Judge You Protect you Berate you  
Help you Punish you Guide you Forsake you**

* * *

"daddy can I just go say bye to Haley?" Madison asked as her and Lucas walked back towards Brooke's room after having bought out almost the entire magazine stand.

"Sure. I'll wait for you here, but don't be too long" he replied, giving her a kiss. He couldn't believe how much time he had missed out on with his family. He hadn't been there the day Maddie first walked, or said her first word. He hadn't been there to drop her off or pick her up on her first day of school. He hadn't seen a single one of the nativity plays, or made it to her birthday parties.

"Hi Haley" Madison said shyly, standing near the door that her daddy stood outside of.

"hey Madison. Is your Mommy o.k?"

"Yeah. I'm going to have a brother or sister, but not for ages" the little girl stressed the last word, rolling her eyes as she did so, much to Haley's amusement.

"This is Nathan" Haley told her, nodding her head in the direction of the dark-haired guy near them.

"Hi Nathan. You love Haley" she stated, not batting an eyelid at the shocked looks she earned.

"I do actually" he replied softly chuckling, taking Haley's hand, who didn't pull away.

"I knew" Madison replied, smiling at the two.

"How'd you guess?"

Madison shrugged and looked at the two of them holding hands. "My Mommy looked at my Daddy like he's looking at you, and then she said 'I love you'"

"Well then I guess he does love me" Haley laughed.

"And you love him"

"You're like a mind-reader!" Haley joked, hugging the little girl. "Thank you Madison. We won't forget you."

"Thank you for helping my Mommy. I has to go now cos daddy wants to give Mommy a kiss before she goes to sleep."

**We speed through life like we speed through life  
In the blink of an eye it could mean your life  
Frightened by stereotypes, our senses become heightened  
When fear meets the truth it's like the clash of the titans**

* * *

"So why did you leave Nathan?" Haley asked softly after they watched Madison exit the room and walk down the corridor, holding Lucas's hand.

"Do we need to do this now Haley?"

"Nathan I want _answers _You've been gone all these months, I think I have a right to know why you just left."

"Because I was jealous"

"Why?" she asked, her voice softening again as Nathan sat beside her.

"Because you'd gone after your dream, and it was becoming your life. Basketball used to be _my _life and it was _my _dream, but I didn't fulfil it. And watching you get everything you ever wanted made me angry at myself for not accepting that High Flyers letter. I couldn't stay and let jealousy get the better of me because it would have destroyed our marriage."

"I had no idea" she whispered, looking into his dark blue eyes. "I'm so sorry Nathan."

"No Haley, that's the thing. You shouldn't be sorry. Music was your dream, and who am I to stand in the way of that? I just couldn't stay and know that I was going to grow to resent you."

Haley nodded, taking in all of what Nathan had said. It was weird. She was so angry and upset with him for leaving, yet in a way, she understood. She hadn't stopped to think about him through all of her quest for music success, yet he'd thought about her every step of the way in what could have been an excellent basketball career.

"So what did you do while you were away?"

"I played. I played and I loved every single minute of it. But as soon as I got off that court, you were all I could think about. So I just threw myself into more and more basketball, and then I got a job coaching the junior team."

"Nathan that's great" she whispered, holding his hand as she gave it a little squeeze.

"So how are you doing with your music?" he asked, watching her brown eyes start to tear up.

"It wasn't what I wanted it to be." she said simply as she closed her eyes and leant in towards his face, her lips lingering in front of his before he met them, capturing them sweetly and softly and perfectly.

**We cross the same intersection where perception becomes deception  
Mirrored reflections of an ugly complexion **

* * *

"Mommy" Madison called from down the hallway

"hey baby"

"We gotted you this from the mazagine stand!" Madison exclaimed, thrusting the handful of magazines at Brooke who laughed.

"It's mag-a-zine baby, not mazagine"

"Oh" she let out a small yawn which she tried her best to stifle, but with no success.

"Somebody needs to go to bed" Lucas said, smoothing his daughter's hair as he picked her up. Madison buried her head into Lucas' chest.

"I don't want to leave you and Mommy"

"Can't she just stay here?" Brooke asked. Even though her and Lucas were getting on, and he'd promised to be there for her, Brooke couldn't help but feel a slight sense of worry about leaving Madison alone with Lucas for the night. It was always her that she went to if she was upset or had a bad dream. If she wanted a story read, Brooke would do it. If she wanted something to drink, Brooke would get it. She didn't want her daughter to wake up in the middle of the night without her being there.

"You want to sleep here?" Lucas asked Madison, who nodded tiredly.

**It's a mess that people think we are who we are  
Based on what they hear or read or by the colour we are **

* * *

"You can cry you know Daddy" Jenny said, breaking the silence that had fallen upon the living room.

"Thanks Jenny" Jake tried to laugh, but failed.

"I want you to cry Daddy"

"Why's that?"

"Because then I can cry too"

**In life we are put in predicaments where incidents meets the innocent **

* * *

Nathan sat in the chair, just watching Haley explain to him about how she hadn't really liked being on tour, and how much she missed him when she'd been putting in long hours at the studio. He only heard part of what she was saying. The rest of the time he spent just staring at her, wondering why it had taken him so long to realise that life was precious. It didn't last forever, and time certainly wasn't going to stand still for him, or anyone else for that matter.

"_People change. Sometimes they grow older, wiser, more sure of what they want. But sometimes, people don't realise where they are headed in life, and what they want out of it. They're constantly looking for something better, something more real. We waste our time thinking about what could have been, or what we should have done. Why? Time's not going to change anything. Only we can do that."_

Haley looked at Nathan, noticing that there was something different in his eyes. Realisation. Realisation of what they had, of what they threw away, of what they needed. For so long, she'd blamed herself for Nathan leaving. But now, she realised that it was both of them. Miscommunication and selfishness got in the way of their happiness, and for what? For them to realise that they only needed each other.

"_Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future."_

Brooke watched as Madison chatted animatedly to Lucas about the ball that they'd been to that night. It was lovely to see how her eyes lit up every time she got to an exciting part, and how Lucas responded with a real smile when she laughed. This was all she'd wanted. A family to _be _a family.

She placed her hand delicately over her stomach, and thought of the new life growing inside of her, wondering what it was going to be like when Madison was an older sister, and the two would gang up on Brooke and Lucas over what time their curfews were, or which people they chose to date. Lucas looked over at her and smiled, before turning back to his daughter who was now starting to let sleep over come her.

"_Life is about love. It's about being there for the people you care about, and receiving help from those you don't even know. It's these kind of acts that make all the difference, and that make society what it is. Life is for living, and enjoying. For having fun, even when you feel like you shouldn't be. Life's short, and sometimes it's painful. But you have to keep going. It's only the weak that give up."_

Jake watched as a tear fell from Jenny's eye, followed by one from his own. Crying wouldn't have been something he'd normally do, especially in front of his daughter. But now it felt like a release.

"Shell be watching us won't she daddy?"

"Of course she is baby. I told you" he said softly, another tear escaping his eye. "She'll always be with us"

"_Often in life, the people you love the most are taken from you too soon. You feel like you didn't have enough time with them, and you didn't accomplish enough. Loosing your heart's desire is tragic, but what would your life have been like if you hadn't met them? Would it have been any lighter? Any brighter? No. These things are sent to try us, and they do. But we have to keep fighting, because we all know, that if we had a choice between the tragedy of finding the one we love, and having them taken away from us, or never finding these people at all, we all know what we'd chose. We'd choose the tragedy. And we wouldn't give it back for the world."_

Lucas scooped up his sleeping daughter in his arms, making his way over to Brooke's bed. He didn't say anything, and neither did she. She just made enough room for him to sit beside her, still holding their daughter in his arms. They sat there, not needing to say anything because for once, they actually knew what the other was thinking. They still had their worries and their doubts, their insecurities and their fears. But now they had the other's support and belief. That was all they needed.

"_As we strain to grasp the things we desire, the things we think will make life better: money, popularity, fame; we ignore what truly matters: the simple things like friendship, family, love. The things we probably already had."_

**That "Crash" our conscious with contents of nonsense  
When I breakdown and "Crash"**

Tragedies happen. What are you going to do? Give up? Quit? No. When your heart breaks you've got to fight like hell to make sure you're still alive. Because you are. And that pain your feel: it's life. The confusion and fear: that's there to remind you that somewhere out there, is something better. And that something is worth fighting for.

It shouldn't take one tragedy to prevent others from happening. We should know that we have to cling onto life, even when we feel like giving up. We have to appreciate every second, every moment that we're here, because all too easily, it can be taken away.

* * *

**A/N- **okay, so that's it guys! Last chapter and I cried when writing it. (what can I say? I'm a dork)

Firstly:I want to thank each and every one of you for reviewing, I really loved reading them, and they enspired me to write more for you.

Secondly, I hate advertising my fics, but I ask you to check out 'life is what you make it' which will be getting updated a lot more frequently now. I also have something else in the pipeline, something more light-hearted, so watch out! lol.

Thirdly: We all need to save our beloved One Tree Hill! I've been voting on various different poles, but the main one seems to be E! Online. Please help save our show!

Finally: This is the longest chapter I have ever written, and it took ages, please leave me a review, as this will be the last time you can ever do it for this fic. lol

Love you guys, Emily-Grace xxx


End file.
